Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1887-08-11

such . way that my right log. without
being crushed or even much bruised.
was twisted in the stirrup strap and
caught fast
Right here lot me stop to explain q
that will enable you to
understand the situation. Down in the
valley. at the base of Gold mountain.
was a saw mill owned by George
Lacy, of LeadviAe, and extending up
from its yard, almost to timber line.
was what is called . log shoot. This
is simply a v-shaped trough. large
enough to hold q good-sized pine
trunk. and built soldly against the
face of the mountain. OF course, it
has to be straight or nearly SO. to per-
NIT the logs to slide down without OBJ
and use soon makes the in
side as smooth as glass Such . con-
trivance saves q great deal Of haulin g.
for as the trees are cut they arc
dragged over and dumped into the
trough. and go down to the yard like a
streak of lightning. In the course OF
time the pressure will drive the
trough in pretty nearly to the level Of
the earth. This was the case with the
Lacy shoot. Moreover. it had not been
used for about year, and pine
needles, dead boughs and other rub
bish had. in places. almost hidden it
from sight. 1 was we'll enough &C
quainted with the mountains to know,
the instant my broncho fell. that he
had walked into the old log shoot. !
was not aware at the time, but l think
now that the headlong tumble broke
his back then and there, and he never
knew what hurt him.
ut takes a moment for the coolest
head to clear itself in times of I'M
looked-for peril. and long before that
had elapsed the broncho and
were on our way to the valley, going
faster at every breath. nothing to stop
Us, death ahead, and the devils own
underE cath. l was sitting
almost erect in the saddle. The leath-
er flaps had twisted around and kept
my legs from rubbing against the sides
If the trough, but held me like bands
If iron. Even had they not. jumping
IF would have been out of the ques-
ion. l have never been on a tobog-
gan. but I think shat people who
lave will understand why I bent
Ill my energies to holding
IN. I did not faint and did
lot get dizzy; there was a hideous
caring in my ears, furious wind
seemed to all of a sudden tear up the
and suck the breath out of
ny mouth, but every thing was deadly
lear and distinct. 1 could see black
'pecks grow suddenly into big pines
md then shoot past me. I could even
zee the snow caught in their needles
as they came whizzing up Every in
slant. through some clearing, l could
zee the valley, in a flash, and over it
Ill was sickening feeling as though
he mountain was sinking away from
ne. and l was plunging out into inn
space. So strong was this
hat even now. standing on the solid
marble floor, can recall the qualm
md nausea as all support seemed to
give away, the earth tip up and let me
all. fall, fall-it felt as if forever. A
mass of rock as large as this hotel was
beneath me. As looked it seemed to
cap into the air like a balloon. There
vas black line of forest below. ]
hot through it, as through q tunnel,
md out into the light again. 1 tried
o shut my eyes. 1t was impossible.
ricd to scream. The air had turned
0 stone.
IL have read that when men are
bout to die their lives reel out before
hem like panorama Mine didn't.
III could think of was the crash, the
bloody mass of man and horse lying
in the valley. and remem.
'er was glad, in a wild, crazy kind OF
way, that it would all be over in an in
tant, and that it wouldn't hurt me. !
new We must be nearly there. The
rees and rocks were indistinguishablc.
:hcn all of sudden a black mass few
p into my face. l felt that l was be-
NC beaten, bruised and hurled over
nd over, and then every thing was
till.
when the moon was well up came
0 myself. Twas lying in a snow-drift,
ubbing at my head and moaning.
lfter a long time l crawled little
rays, and then fell down and cried for
~ very helplessness. l must have
een a little Eighty, and heaven knows
ow found my way to Lacy's mill. a
uarter of mile beyond, but l did
omehow, and they carried me in and
ent for help. You see, the old timber
l., \ fn1l